1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printed circuit board having at least two rigid plate sections arranged in different planes and joined by flexible joining sections between adjacent plate sections.
2. Description of the Related Art
Planar printed circuit boards with high component density have space requirements which inevitably lead to an increase in the housing size of the electric or electronic device in which they are integrated. Moreover, the overall shape of the electronic device is determined by the geometry of the planar printed circuit boards.
It is known that printed circuit boards with a rigid-flexible structure are adaptable to the shape of a device, for example, to form a box, so that the device determines the geometry of the printed circuit board. This known two-dimensional printed circuit board is basically composed of two basic members, namely a rigid plate and a flexible film laminated thereon. It is possible to provide single or multiple arrangements of rigid plates and flexible film. The rigid plate, or board, constitutes a component carrier with contacts on one side whereas the film carries interconnects. This means that the film performs the function of connecting the plates in a flexible fashion which permits, with certain steps, the form of the circuit board assembly to be adapted to the device. The geometry of the plates or boards, the joining and assembling parts, as well as the contact holes are generated by means of additional drilling and/or punching steps.